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Taxonomic History

Classic Araceae Studies Translated

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This webpage presents translations by Simon Mayo of classic texts relevant to Araceae systematics, including historical material. The translations are only intended to be sufficient for wider understanding.

Engler, A. 1879. Review of Aroideae Maximilianae. Bot. Zeitung (Leipzig) 37: 853-856 (1879). This is interesting for giving an insight into Engler's views on Schott's taxonomy of Araceae, as well as mentioning Engler's own visit to study Schott's material and icones.

Engler, A. 1884. Beiträge zur Kenntniss der Araceae V. 12. Über den Entwicklungsgang in der Familie der Araceen und über die Blütenmorphologie derselben. Bot. Jahrb. Syst. 5: 141 – 188, 287 – 336. Taf. I – V. This is an important work for understanding Engler's ideas on evolution in the Araceae, and also shows how he was influenced by C.W. Nägeli in this respect (although he does not mention Nägeli by name).

Biographies of H.W. Schott

Riedl, H. (1965). Heinrich Wilhelm Schott:[ On the 100th anniversary of his death on 5 March 1965]. Ann. Naturhist. Mus. Wien 68: 3-8. This is a German language biography of H.W. Schott, which is considerably more detailed than his Taxon paper on the same subject (see next). Riedl also discusses here Schott's aesthetic and intellectual contributions in regard to the design of the Schoenbrunn Gardens, for which he was famous in his day.

Riedl, H. (1965). Heinrich Wilhelm Schott (1794-1865). Taxon 14(7): 209-213. This is an English language biography with a list of Schott's publications.

Fenzl, E. (1865). Heinrich Wilhelm Schott (1865). [A biography]. Wien. Aus der k.k. Hof- und Staatsdruckerei. This is a German language biography by Edouard Fenzl who was a colleague and friend of Schott. It is notable for the more personal details provided of Schott's character, and also for details of his time in Brazil.

Wawra, H. 1879. Aroideae Maximilianae. Oester. Bot. Zeitschr. 29: 400-402. This is a review with much important detail about the history of the Aroideae Maximilianae published by J. Peyritsch (1879). Wawra was the chief botanist of the 1859-1860 Austrian expedition to Brazil which collected the plants described and illustrated in the book.